Five fun facts about Christmas

Most are getting ready for the Christmas holiday, but not everyone is aware of what we're celebrating.Here are five fun facts you may not have known about Christmas.

What's Jesus' birthday again? Theologians don't know.

Over the years, it's become common knowledge that no one really knows when Jesus of Nazareth was born. Common consensus is that the four Gospel writers were more interested in Jesus' death and resurrection than his birthday. And while Matthew and Luke give details about the Virgin Mary, stars, shepherds and wise men, they don't give a date. In the last 2,000 years, various theologians argued that Jesus was likely born in the spring and historians argue that his year of birth was wrong.

Sixth-century monk Dionysius Exiguus was the author of the calendar Christians conformed to when it came to determining Jesus' birth.

However, Pope Benedict XIV, wrote a book "Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives," where he disputed the year of Jesus' birth. Benedict cited the Gospel of Matthew which claimed that Jesus was born when Herod the Great ruled Judea. Since Herod died in 4 B.C., Jesus must have been born earlier than Exiguus originally documented. It gets more confusing when the Gospel of Luke contends that the birth took place when Quirinius was governor of Syria in A.D. 6.

Of course the former pope, now His Holiness, said the actual birth date and year are not as important as the fact that Jesus was born, died to redeem the world and rose again. — Time Magazine

How'd they pick Dec. 25th?

So how did Dec. 25th get chosen?

Well, in the fourth century, 336 A.D. to be exact, it's said the Catholic Church chose Dec. 25 to coincide with the Roman and pagan celebrations of Saturnalia, an ancient winter festival that involved decorating evergreens and gift giving, according to The Huffington Post and Salon.com. In fact, Christians didn't focus on Jesus' birthday very much until the fourth century, calling birthday celebrations pagan. This was the Puritan justification for banning the celebration in the 1600's, fearing it would lead to pagan practices.

There's another theory as well that comes from the old Jewish calendrical belief that "great prophets" would die and either be born or conceived on the same day. Jesus' death was said to be during Passover, so based on this theory, early Christian writer Tertullian calculated Jesus' birth to be nine months later — around Dec. 25.

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas

Before he became a jolly, plump, old elf called Santa Claus, there was a man named Nicholas, the Greek-Orthodox Archbishop of Myra, present day Demre, Turkey. Nicholas was born in 280 AD in the Mediterranean and was known for his generosity. The most popular tale involves an impoverished man who was so destitute he thought he was going to have to sell his three daughters into slavery - likely prostitution. Nicholas, who had come from a wealthy family, tossed a bag of gold through the window, and the oldest daughter was able to marry. Nicholas repeated the act again, and on the third time, the man discovered who he had to thank and rushed out to meet him. Nicholas made him promise not to say anything, but the story got out. While Nicholas has become known for his charity, he was also a major defender of the faith, having survived torture in prison before Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal. Nicholas, who died in 342 AD, is the patron saint of children, travelers, sailors, women looking for husbands and the falsely accused. — Provided by American Catholic.org

His alter ego, Santa Clause, is a Dutch tradition. The Netherlands' celebration of St. Nicholas had him coming down the chimney and flying over houses, although he did so on top of a horse. Reindeer came later. Eventually, Sinterklaas was named the "patron saint of New York" by Washington Irving, who as previously mentioned, was the catalyst for the popularization of Santa Claus in America. — Huffington Post

The Christmas Tree

Evergreen plants were a symbol of life for ancient cultures in Egypt and Rome. It was common to decorate the evergreens for the festival of Saturnalia, and was apparently incorporated in early Christian life. This tradition turned into the modern Christmas Tree in 16th century German, when Christians began decorating evergreens in their homes. Rumor has it that the tradition began with Reformation Leader, Martin Luther, the first to add lit candles to the tree.

While Germans enjoyed the tradition, Americans weren't interested, many associating it with pagan practices. It wasn't until a magazine featuring Queen Victoria and her family (Prince Albert was German) standing around a Christmas tree in 1846, that it became popular in the U.S. - Huffington Post

Kissing under the Mistletoe — so you don't die

Here's a fun one. Apparently the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe comes from Norse tradition. The story surrounds Baldur, the grandson of Norse god Thor. (Anyone watch the latest Avengers film?) Baldur was terrified that every living plant and animal was out to kill him. (Norse gods didn't seek therapy back then.) So while Baldur hid in his room, his wife and mother begged all living things to be nice to him and leave him alone — except mistletoe because it was too lowly to notice. Once Baldur was assured that the living things weren't out to kill him, he invited other gods to throw objects at him because they would bounce off. Loki, god of mischief, made an arrow from the wood of mistletoe and killed Baldur with it. So mistletoe is hung above the door as a reminder to remember the dangers of neglecting the "small things."

And the Huffington Post points out that the word mistletoe comes from the Anglo-Saxon words "mistel" which means dung, and "tan" which means twig. Very romantic.

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